Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “house of office” come from?

house of office (English) comes from English office, from Middle English office, from Old French office, from Latin officium, from Latin opificium, from Latin opifex, from Latin Ops, from Latin oscen — missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...

house of office (English): An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory

Definitions

  1. An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory

Ancestry of “house of office”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishofficeA ceremonial duty or service, "particularly"; A...
2Middle EnglishofficeThe state of being employed or having a work or...
3Old Frenchofficeoffice; service
4Latinofficiumduty, service; office; obligation, an obligatory...
5Latinopificiumwork
6LatinopifexSomeone who does work ; worker, maker, framer,...
7LatinOpsearth goddess, fertility deity
8Latinoscenany bird by whose song cries augurs divined...
9Latinopscen—
10Latinob-towards; against
11Latinobolusobolus
12Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
13Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
14Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
Every word from Ancient Greek βέλος →